Over the past few weeks it seem to have rained non stop. You could feel the moisture in the air and the mildew smell everywhere you went. The thought of going out in this stuff just didn't happen. The same was true for the ants!Who would have ever thought in the middle of the winter in San Francisco there would even be an ant alive. Don't the hibernate during this time? Actually I didn't even know what they did during the non picnic season until now!
One day I turned the corner to the kitchen, flipped on the light and freaked out. Had I been the screaming type a shriek would have been heard through the building. However, being the calm and rational KB I am, I just let out a big "What the F.... is that!"
Above the highest cupboard where the ceiling meets the wall, there was a black streak moving along path where these two join, until it turn downward disappearing at the top of the cabinet. Only to reappear about 1 1/2 feet out the side of the cabinet in a straight line over to the side of the refrigerator across the galley kitchen. Here it managed to enter the top of the refrigerator/freezer and disappeared.
Wondering where they went I had to do a little more investigating. With a little trepidation I popped open the freezer door. You wouldn't believe it but they made their way into the packages of frozen meat and ice cubes before some of them came to their immediate death. To them it must have been like walking across the tundra.
Unfortunately not all of them made it to their death. Some of them were still slowly walking around trying to keep warm or perhaps making their way to the lower confines of the refrigerator. For what I am wondering? I didn't see anything opened that would have drawn their attention. There wasn't a trail of juice drippings or unwrapped pizza. It all just seemed too weird to me.
Well without a moments thought I picked up the closest spray bottle too me and began to wipe out an entire colony. Not necessarily the smartest thing as it just created a big mess of wet ants. It took me nearly 20 minutes to wipe this mess clean. After finally finishing I decided to research better ways to handle such a situation.
What to Do If You Have an Ant Emergency?
- Determine what the ants are attracted to and remove the food source
- Vacuum trails, wipe them with soapy water, or spray with window cleaner
- Locate entry points and caulk openings or plug with petroleum jelly
- Put out bait stations or apply gel bait at entry points
- Baits take time to work so continue to clean up trails
- Indoor sprays are not usually necessary
No comments:
Post a Comment